THE LOST ORANGE FOUND.
WHEN little girls or boys try to do right, every body loves to help
them. Mrs. Gray knew that for six years her little niece had been
indulged in every wish, and that she had never been taught to restrain
her ill humor. She could not, therefore, expect her to be cured at once
of all her bad habits; but she was much pleased to see that Nelly grew
every day more amiable, more ready to give up her own wishes, and to try
to make others happy. Sometimes, in playing with Frankie, she would
forget, and say an unkind word; but the moment she saw the eye of her
aunt fixed mournfully upon her, she would say, "I'm sorry, Frankie."
When she said this, the dear child always put up his little red lips to
kiss her, and say, "I sorry, too, Nelly." Sometimes he would add, "God
is sorry, too."
It was very rainy one morning, and the children were obliged to keep in
doors. Frankie had for some time been amusing himself by hiding a ball,
which he made Ponto find and bring to him in his teeth, while Nelly
shouted and danced at every new discovery, saying "I never saw such a
funny dog before."
At last they grew tired of this, and even Ponto began to think they had
played this game quite long enough; so Frankie sat down on the floor,
and putting one arm around the dog's neck, said, "Mamma, I want to hear
a toly."
"You said some time you would tell us some more about Moses," exclaimed
Nelly.
"So I will," said mamma. "I told you that his mother counted the
oranges, and found there were but twelve. 'I'm sorry,' she said to
Moses, 'because I wanted one for Sarah Christie; but I suppose your
father forgot to get it, and I'll send her one another time.'
"'You can give her some figs,' said Moses.
"'So I can,' replied his mother; and then she went on cutting the peel
and tearing it down a little way, so that, when they were put into the
large glass dish, they looked like great yellow flowers.
"'O, how pretty they are!' said Moses.
"His mother then set all the dishes on the sideboard, and covered them
over with a clean table cloth. After tea, she said, 'I will set them out
on the table, and then when the children have done playing, they can
come here and eat them.'
"When Moses' father came home from the city, the lady said, 'I'm sorry
you forgot to get thirteen oranges. There were only twelve in the
basket.'
"'There were thirteen when I brought them home,' said papa; 'I am sure
of it, because I counted them myself, and they were nice ones too; I had
to give three cents apiece for them, though they are quite plenty now.'
"'I don't know where the other can have gone,' said mamma, looking very
sober, as a painful suspicion flashed through her.
"'I hope Moses wouldn't take one without leave,' said the gentleman.
"'I asked him,' replied mamma, 'and he said he hadn't touched them.'
"'Where is he?' asked papa, 'I will ask him. I don't care at all about
the orange, because I can easily get another; but somebody must have
taken it, and I am afraid it was our little boy.' The gentleman then
went to the door and called, 'Moses! Moses!'
"Presently Moses came, and his father took him in his lap, and said,
'Tell me, my dear, have you taken an orange from the basket?'
"'No, papa,' said the boy, his face growing very red. 'I told mamma I
hadn't touched them.'
"The gentleman couldn't think that his darling child would tell a lie;
so he put him down to the floor, and inquired, 'Have you asked cook?'
"'No,' said mamma; 'I am quite sure she wouldn't meddle with my things.'
"'Just then, cook came in with the cloth for supper, and mamma said to
Moses, 'I shall have time, I think, to dress you before tea. Run up
quick to my room, and I will get a clean ruffle, and baste it in your
new sack."
"While she was doing this, he pulled off his sack and pantaloons that
he had worn every day, and threw them on the floor. Then his mother
washed his face, and neck, and arms, and hands, very clean, and brushed
his hair smoothly off his forehead, so that he looked very nicely
indeed. And all the time Moses was talking about his party, and telling
what a pleasant time he should have.
"'It's your birthday,' said his mother, kissing him, 'and you must
remember to be a very good boy. Be kind to your dear little cousins and
playmates, and let them play with any of your toys. Here, let me hang up
your clothes, and we will go down to tea.'
"She took the pantaloons from the floor, and said, 'Why, Moses, what
have you stuffed into your pocket? Here is your handkerchief wet
through.' She pulled out first an India rubber ball, and then--O, what
do you think?--why, the lost orange, all sucked and gone except the
peel.
"'O Moses!' was all the poor mother could say. She sank into a chair,
and covered her face with her hands; but the tears trickled down through
her fingers.
"The little boy began to cry; he wished his mother had not found him
out, because it made her feel so badly. Presently the tea bell rang;
but the lady never stirred from her seat. She was mourning over her son,
and thinking what she ought to do to punish him for his great sin.
"'Supper is ready,' called out papa from the stairs.
"'Don't wait for me,' answered the lady; 'I can't go down.'
"'What is the matter?' asked the gentleman, springing up the stairs and
coming into the room.
"Mamma began to weep again. She could not speak, but she held up the
skin of the orange, and glanced toward Moses, who was sitting in a chair
by himself crying bitterly.
"'So he did take it, after all,' said papa, in a stern voice.
"'I'm sorry, papa,' sobbed the boy.
"'What a wicked boy you must be, to steal and lie, and on your birthday
too,' said his father, 'when we were trying to make you so happy!'
"'I never will do so again,' said Moses.
"'You must be punished, so that you will remember it,' said his father.
"'Stay here,' said his mother; 'I will send cook up with some supper for
you.'"